The Dark Knight trilogy was a smart direction for WB (or I guess Lionsgate) to move in. They didn't make a superhero movie, they made a crime drama with guys in funny outfits. It worked quite well as a film, but as an adaptation of comic arcs it fell flat due to an adherence to strictly realistic explanations of the world. Marvel Studios, on the other hand, is less about making a story fit in the real world and instead make the world they create feel real and yet include fantastic elements that make the story still feel grand. They created an Earth similar to ours but with slightly different rules that allowed the Age of Marvels to happen. Even Man of Steel, regardless of individual opinions of the film, took an active stance of remove-the-more-comic-booky-elements in favor of a more real-world-Earth. WB opted to place Superman in our world instead of Earth One.
I'll give credit where credit is due: WB is currently beating Marvel on the small screen. The similarly “dark and realistic” Arrow is an immensely popular series (though I myself do not like it, I will keep those thoughts to myself) that the studio is using as a starting point for many of the less “film worthy” (though I would disagree and will elaborate on this in a later post) heroes in the DC roster. The series has already introduced a currently comatose Barry Allen, who will be getting his own series very soon, as well as characters like Black Canary, Deadshot, and Deathstroke. Conversely, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is only recently able to find its legs and understand what it is doing as a series. Marvel is having to play a game of catch-up on the television side similar (though not as daunting) to WB's Justice League world building. However, Marvel has an ace in the hole in the form of the upcoming Netflix Defenders series that will showcase the darker and grittier ground level heroes, which adds Dark Knight-esque realism while still keeping true to the characters. Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage (honestly, his real name is way cooler sounding than Power Man), and Alias come naturally more “adult” as a result of being low key vigilantes in the hyper violent New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen as compared to, say, hyper-realistic Flash wearing a costume made from the scraps of Ben Affleck's Daredevil outfit. I look forward to comparing The Defenders to WB's Gotham when they both air.
The things that will allow DC properties films to be on par with the MCU films are: choosing good (AND APPROPRIATE) directors, adapting the characters in the way they are widely remembered and thought of, AND not making superhero movies, but rather movies with superheroes in them. Marvel took a unique and incredibly risky approach to creating their film universe. They chose predominantly non-action directors. Jon Favreau's directing had consisted of mostly comedies and the light, child-friendly adventure of Zathura before helming Iron Man. The smart part was the approach to the production. They approached it as an independent film. They cast whoever they felt would play the part best instead of who would put butts in seats (take a lesson Schumacher) and made a loving, faithful adaptation of the material while still placing it in a modern setting. Marvel continued to have a run of incredible directing choices (Kenneth Branagh anyone?) culminating in the nothing-short-of-enlightened choice of nerd icon Joss Whedon. Not only was Whedon a highly successful director and producer (Combined Buffy and Angel ran 12 seasons), he grew up absorbing as much about comics as he could get his hands on. This skill combined with the knowledge and love of the material culminated in one of the most successful high-risk moves in film history. As a result of the success of The Avengers, Whedon now operates as godfather of the MCU and writer/director of Avengers 2.
No one can claim that Christopher Nolan is anything short of one of the greatest directors working in film today. Films like Inception, The Dark Knight, and The Prestige have change not only cinema, but the way we look at the world as well. Logically, after the success of the Dark Knight trilogy, WB would choose a director with similar skill and vision to take over the next step in DC films. They did the opposite. After a successful run of all-style-no-substance films like 300, Sucker Punch, and Watchmen (Yes I understand that Watchmen was a word for word, frame by frame adaptation for most of the film, but I still think that the actual understanding of the book wasn't there and it shows), Zach Snyder was chosen to lay the groundwork for the DC Cinematic Universe. WHY? DC has some of the richest story telling and deepest characters coming and going and the directing choice was the Owls of Ga'Hoole guy? (Okay, benefit of the doubt, Marvel did use the director of Jurassic Park 3 for a Captain America movie, so maybe they see something I don't.) The result, Man of Steel, was a one dimensional film with a washed out color palate. Despite issues and loud opposition to the film from a large section of the fan community, Snyder was again chosen for the sequel. WB is putting all of its eggs in one directorial basket and as a result may have lost their chance at overtaking Marvel. What they need to do is find more directors, both established and up-and-coming, with a similar vision to the Nolan-esque DCCU and put them on their own projects with their own characters and let the magic happen from there. David Fincher, Brad Anderson, or Kathryn Bigelow may be worth a look.
I want to make one thing very clear, Captain America only worked because he was an ABSOLUTE FUCKING BOY SCOUT. There was no irony in Joe Johnston's The First Avenger. Any irony or cynicism at all about the character would have killed not only the film, but the MCU. Conversely, (again) regardless of if you liked MoS or not, Superman is considered the paragon of absolute good in the DC universe and the Boy-Scouty Cap equivalent to the Justice League. Snyder and Goyer wanted a Supes who felt "real" (by their estimation anyway) and put a darker edge on the character. While many liked the film, many others had a lot of issues with this portrayal and it doesn't bode well for the DC Film Universe moving forward. That said, Batman vs Superman may bring something new to the table and I will withhold any judgment on that film until more news comes out. (Also, BvS might want to go somewhat Starkish with Bruce Wayne both for contrast with the seriousness of Batman and also to appease those of us who felt "broody cane Wayne" was a piss poor alter-ego.)
Finally, WB needs to not make BvS a superhero movie. That time has passed. Much like the death of the silver age of comics when stories had to go beyond "beat the bad guys" and become something more (teen coming of age stories covered in the story of a young nerdy kid bitten by a radioactive spider), movies based on these properties can't rely on the blanket "hero's journey" plot. A lot of the standout superhero films are, as previously stated, movies with superheroes in them. From TDK's crime drama, to Thor's Shakespearean drama, to the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier taking a Political Thriller approach (a la Bourne, Tom Clancy), the standout superhero films have gone the extra mile and incorporated other film genres into themselves.
Marvel is on a roll and their momentum doesn't show signs of slowing down, especially with the studio putting out 2-4 films a year in the coming years as well as the continuing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series and Defenders Netflix mini-series. And while, yes, WB puts out many more movies than just their DC properties, the DC films will be the ones measured against the MCU. This is driven home even stronger when the studio is trying to rival The Avengers with a Justice League film and are years behind on the prospect and even their next step in creating this universe was delayed a full year. There is no reason for this. All of Marvel Studios revenue comes from their MCU works (Disney backing notwithstanding) and WB has revenue from all over the place. Logically Warner Brothers should be the studio being more experimental and yet Marvel is getting The Guardians of The Galaxy prepped to be one of the summer's hit films while WB thinks that Wonder Woman is too difficult a property to adapt. The adventurous spirit and the faith in the material to speak for itself is what makes the MCU the stronger of the two and will keep it ahead until WB can find those spirits themselves.
